Verma’s self-titled debut is a tough egg to crack. Released by the ever popular Plustapes label, it does prove that Verma are another great psych/krautrock band in the ever expanding pool of Chicago’s psych/krautrock scene. The five songs that make up the tape range from Hawkwind-like spacey to more heavy drone to downright heavy heavy. The fact that they chose to record live to tape is perhaps the one real drawback here as the sound is muffled and in the red distorted more often than not. Upon first listen, it’s hard to tell how to feel about the sound, but oddly enough after a few more, it may actually add something.

Verma are less like Can than most krautrock worshipers, mostly due to Zach’s looser style of drumming. Instead of sounding like a well oiled machine, Verma come across as a drunken, lumbering beast knocking down tress and crushing all on its path to who knows where. The eight-plus minute “Coyote” is the best example of this as it induces Sleep-like head nods before ambling away in a wash of distortion and feedback.

For local context, Verma hark back more towards Mako Sica than Cave in a way. Thematically, both Mako Sica and Verma deal in what feel like dusty plains. Whereas Cave leans more to the machine of krautrock, Verma delve into heavy psych, and it’s more earthy tendencies. The drums on “Sarvanasa” are tribal to say the least. Opener, “Dust Commander”, comes in creepily on a simple bass line and swirling keyboards before growing into a two note monster fleshed out by wave after wave of manic guitar. No machine can wreak this havoc.

That’s not to say Verma don’t have a lighter side. The oddly named “Night Crawler” bounces along much like a lo-fi Stereolab. One might call it danceable if they were so inclined. But for the most of this tape, Verma are pretty menacing. Whereas Mako Sica’s Dual Horizons left me scared and alone in the woods, Verma’s self-titled debut somehow fills me with a sense, real or false, of bravado regarding nature. This is coming from a guy that hates camping by the way, so that’s saying something.

Let’s talk about the sound and my ambivalence. As I stated above, Verma recorded straight to tape live in the studio. Somehow, this tape does not have the atmospheric vibe of Mako Sica’s Mayday At The Strobe nor the lo-fi charm of any number of home recorded demos. What it does have are crackles and muffled bass, and a sound that feels as if it’s afraid to come out of the speakers. My ambivalence stems from the fact that it almost sounds as if it is a lost gem from some 70′s psych band that never got to produce a proper record. It’s as if this rare live recording somehow found the light of day, and what is in my stereo is some fifth generation tape of a tape, which is maybe cool.

Am I reading too much into this? Of course I am, but it’s music, and it should stoke our imaginations. Sure, I wish the sound were brighter, but it is what it is. Made up history aside, Verma’s self-titled debut is some fine heavy ass psych, and that’s all there is to it.
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Catch Verma on Sunday, September 26, at the Empty Bottle. Tickets are available right now at Ticketweb.com for only $3!
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Verma on Giant System Chicago: